The Pittsburgh Pennsylvania record store Eide’s Entertainment is an institution. The shop, at 1121 Penn Avenue in the downtown part of Pittsburgh, got its start in 1972 as a comic book shop. Today it’s a massive storehouse of albums, memorabilia, DVDs, books, and the comics that gave the store its start back in the day.

Newcomers might overlook the stairs which lead up to the vinyl paradise…but once you know you have to go to the second floor to find the good stuff, don’t make the mistake of bypassing the first floor where the CDs are located–there is a nice collection of music-related books and mags that is definitely worth a look. Yes, there are more books on the second floor, but make sure you see that collection of titles on the first level–very cool indeed.

Yes, those are Re/Search titles you spotted in that not-so sharp photo above. Nice selection! But once you get upstairs, the real challenge begins.

Eides does have an emphasis on the collectibles, it’s true. In fact, it’s totally obvious that the people who make buying decisions for the store know their stuff and love the music. It’s unfortunate that some of the staff isn’t as well-rounded.

Queries about Robyn Hitchcock titles were met with a blank stare…I don’t expect everyone in the whole world to love or even pay attention to Hitchcock, the Soft Boys or the Egyptians, but anybody who works in a record store might be tempted to learn a LITTLE something about recent music history…or is that my inner curmudgeon manifesting itself? No matter–don’t go into the shop with questions, just do your crate digging and brace yourself for the total. There’s a LOT here to help you part ways with your hard earned cash, especially serious collectors.

Regardless, Eide’s is a worthy stop on any vinyl hunt, and cinema buffs will have plenty to distract them from the stacks as there’s a massive collection of DVDs for sale across a variety of genres.